Mom 'n' pop point-of-sale

We've all stood and waited while an inexperienced cashier calls in a supervisor to void a charge or enter a discount in a point-of-sale system that would be more at home in Mission Control than Corner Drugs. The Corner Store application has Mom and Pop in mind. It's a POS system specifically for small retailers, so it's designed to be as easy to use as possible. It supports bar code scanning, cash register hot keys, and customer tracking. Most importantly, it supports secure credit card transactions via major national services.

Corner Store POS uses Microsoft .NET Framework and a SQL Server database, which took time to download and install, though the job was made as easy as possible by an installation wizard. You can get help with the installation from Corner Store's tech support, too, part of an impressive array of help that includes not only manuals but also training videos and other online resources. With a POS system, the interface is everything since it determines how quickly and accurately a merchant can process a customer transaction. International POS took user complaints into account when designing Corner Store POS, and the program's efficient, customizable layout validates that effort.

The default layout is similar to an actual register, with a large number pad and items displayed line by line in the main view; its fonts even resemble what you'd see at the grocery store. The interface has prominent, clearly labeled buttons that are difficult to mistake or miss. Best of all, prominent controls for functions like Discount, Delete, and Void and the ability to select Debit, Credit, and Gift cards without accessing a toolbar menu can mean quicker transaction processing and a painless customer experience. Corner Store POS' employee, customer, and inventory lookup and management screens made entering, saving, and editing data easy. We could also customize the program by naming and adding departments, such as Hardware or Produce (or the example in the program's training video, Beer).

We didn't have a bar code scanner on hand to test the program's OCR capability, but that's common technology these days. Everything we tried worked, usually quite well. It's free to try, too, so you can see for yourself whether it's right for your business. Bottom line? Corner Store POS is easy to use, intuitive, and recommended.

Editors' note:This is a review of the full version of Corner Store POS 1.5. The trial version has limited functionality.